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Mosque Avenger
Op-Ed on G-20 from the Mosque Avenger With the chronically feckless Democratic Party being recently buttressed by an equally useless Allegheny County Labor Council leadership, we now have two supposed defenders of working people comfortably ensconced in the back pocket of the corporate-dominated G-20 welcoming wagon. This historically tragic development begs the question as to who's left to address and counter the dismaying spectacle of Pittsburgh's primary economic and political institutions bending over backwards to indulge the very criminal class responsible for our collective misery? Story line after nauseating story line finds government, business and academic spokespeople, along with a few commoners, being downright giddy while touting the economic benefits and inestimable publicity expected to result from the September 24-25 gathering at the David Lawrence Convention Center. After all, why question the G-20's history or agenda when one is peddling them their green technology wares or praying that little Suzie's "Hi grandma" placard gets picked-up as the camera pans the rope line following a Matt Lauer interview from atop Mt. Washington. More realistically though is the likelihood that all these dubious promises of entrepreneurial cash-in and burgeoning civic pride are simply part of a more comprehensive White House-directed okey-doke with County Executive Dan Onorato and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl serving as needed provincial window dressing. Do any of us really believe that Italy's Silvio Berlusconi or Chinese President Hu Jinato\\ will be traipsing through [[Bloomfield or visiting an alt.energy start-up in some surrounding industrial park? The probable though less ostensible goal of this flim-flam is far more sinister. Capitalizing on the city's understandable enthusiasm over being site selected, the White House has successfully stifled any fourth estate inquiries into the unspeakable damage inflicted on the world's people and, in fact, the earth itself by the G-20's policies. Plant closings, job outsourcing, de-forestation and genetically-modified foods are only a handful of the crises left us by their pursuit of profit maximization. The more critical component of this media-assisted roll-out is the orchestrated attempt to demonize and marginalize dissent. By incessantly focusing on the up-coming security arrangements conspicuously linked to ever-looping references to the 1999 "Battle in Seattle", the corporate state intends to shift attention from the disastrous consequences of their self-serving neo-liberalism to a pre-occupation with shattered Gap windows thereby deep-sixing the badly needed discussion of the more equitable, democratic and sustainable alternatives being proffered by the anticipated G-20 protestors. With Pres. Barack Obama beginning to reel from his morally obscene bail-out of capitalism's upper echelon while working class people face increasing and, likely, permanent unemployment levels, coupled with his doomed to fail ever-expanding imperial wars, he cannot afford to have a united front resistance of host city residents calling him out on his pro-Wall Street giveaways and reneged campaign promises. Clearly hoping to avoid a potentially embarrassing conclusion, not unlike that which occurred when some 40,000 London demonstrators confronted the last G-20 conference in April, the White House recently finagled a PR coup by peeling away and neutralizing the local leadership of organized labor. This pre-requisite anchors a much grander strategy to set-up the time-worn good protestor/bad protestor dichotomy intended to dissuade public involvement by, first, dangling illusory carrots and, if necessary, brandishing Ahmadinejad-style sticks. Thankfully, for the sake of our own survival and Pittsburgh's dignity, a broad array of individuals and social movements have stepped forth to fill the vacuum left by our so-called leaders' shameful capitulation to the financial elites(Sorry, frivolous appeals to reps of Goldman-Sachs behind closed doors do not a protest make, Mr. Gerard). Rank and file workers, peace and social justice activists, feminists and environmentalists, among many others, have rallied to challenge and disrupt the profiteering mercenaries and planet-killers assembled under the G-20. This timely and righteous effort comports well with our city's legacy of autonomous and grassroots campaigns to take on the powerful and privileged. From the 1892 Homestead Steel Strike to the 1969 "Black Monday Demonstrations" to this month's LGBT civil rights ordinance victory, to name just a few, Pittsburghers have always mobilized to defend themselves, their families and communities. Likewise, citizens from around the city, state and, indeed, the whole country will, once again, hear the patriotic call to action and ignore the government's hollow appeal to them as consumers and rise-up to resist these global gangsters as they converge to reconfigure a new capitalist shell game to foist on the backs of poor and working people. For those of you who feel that a new world is both necessary and possible, please join us on the streets in September. Category:op-ed